02 / 10 / 20
Kenzie Berry, 2nd year Scots Law with French
I’m acutely aware that I cannot hope to write a blog post on the average fresher’s experience for a number of reasons. First, and most obviously… we’re living in a pandemic. Second, I spent all of my First Year aged 17. My heart goes out to everyone living in halls this year, who will undoubtedly have a good time – just not the one that uni perhaps is expected to be.
I arrived at Dundee in September 2019 and thankfully, fell into a brilliant flat with a great living dynamic. Although, since my flatmates felt considerably older, I often at times in my first few weeks found that I shrunk into my shell at moments. I hadn’t stayed in school for sixth year. I’d never been on a proper night out. For all intents and purposes, I was still very young. Frankly, what a difference a year makes. Don’t get me wrong, I was never quiet in school. Quite the opposite in fact. But here, I felt like a small fish in a very big pond. I’d say the biggest challenge I properly faced in the last year in terms of uni (other than exams) was finding my feet and learning to run. DULS socials like Gaudie at the start of the semester proved intrinsically useful in meeting the people on our course – and seeing them outside of a lecture hall made all of the difference. For reference, I went to a very small school. My biggest class had a whopping 12 people. That was quite a contrast to lectures; where my smallest lecture sat 100 comfortably. As I went to more socials, went on more nights out and met more people, the easier it got. My best piece of advice for a young fresher: get well acquainted with the idea of meeting LOTS of people. Before you know it, you’ll feel comfortable in a crowd and never quite lost in a sea of people. Be honest. Uni is a big place.
As a blanket rule, the more friendly faces (now, masked) you have around campus, the easier your university experience becomes. Whether you meet people through sports, classes, flats or societies; everything helps. DULS pairs freshers with ‘Gaudie families’, that are there to support you during your time at uni. Whether that be through giving you old textbooks, advice on a piece of work you’ve been struggling with or letting some steam off. Between your gaudie family and the DULS committee, there is always someone to turn to when you feel like the world is on your shoulders. Let’s face it, you’ll know us all throughout your time here. Make the most of the experiences and friendships that DULS or any other society can offer to you.
For now, I’ll keep this blog short and sweet. I wish all of the freshers joining DULS all the very best this year – and I’ll leave you with a few pieces of advice.
All the best as you start your journey with us here,
Kenzie